Indra Jatra Festival and Samay Baji Food Offering

The eight-day long religious festival of Indra Jatra is celebrated according to the lunar calendar between the months of August/September. This festival honors Indra, the god of rain. It is also the long-awaited festival when the living goddess Kumari is carried in a rath (chariot) accompanied by musical bands around the narrow streets of Kathmandu. As the chariot is pulled through old Kathmandu, thousands of devotees wait to get a glimpse of the goddess and her blessings. People anxiously wait to see Lakhay, the dance of demons (masked dancers dressed in a costume) in the streets.